Iron County register., 1887-02-10
FOUR MONSTROSITIES.

Incredible Discoveries.
Four abnormal specimens of deform-
| ity in the human race having come un-
| der my observation at different times
| thought a few "reminiscences of each of
them might be interesting to the gen.
eral reader, and more especially to the
| naturalist and biologist Many of the
| citizens of Pittsburgh yet living will
recoIl ect the visit to this city some
forty years ago of the ''Siamese Twins, :"
borJin Siam, in Asia. They were at
that time nearly twenty years of age,
and had been united at birth by firm
Ngamentous band about four inches
Broad and five inches long, passing
from the chest of one to that of the
other in front, uniting the two INSOFAR
ably together, but permitting free
! motion and use of the limbs
and organs of each, which
appeared to act simultaneously and in
simultaneously, as if governed by one
will and one mind. I saw them hop
ping into a carriage at the corner of
Penn avenue and Sixth street, each
with a whip in his hand, with perfect
ease and facility, to take drive
| through the city. They seemed to pos
sess an average amount of intelligence
and wherever they went were the OBJ
iect of much interest and curiosity.
They did few years since in the
United States.
Shortly after commencing the practice
of medicine in Pittsburgh [ was called
to case which in many respects
resembled that of the Siamese twins,,
but different in others. In this case
twine sisters were born, of ordinary
size and healthy appearance,
weighing together from ten to
twelve pounds, but they were dead
born. The ligamentous band, as in the
Siamese case, was wanting. AS rep
resented in the. drawing. taken at; the
time by competent artist, there were
two chests, two heads, with two eyes,
two ears each and two shoulders and
arms, and the lower extremities were
well developed and of natural form.
But the band of union was to all APP
pearances concealed under the in
teguments covering the upper part of
the stomach and epigastric region, and
somehow lower than in the case oflthe
Siamese twins, thus wrapping the two
bodies in one common sack or cavity,
designed to contain the stomach, liver
and other important organs of a single
individual.
This hypothesis, however, would only
be confirmed or disproved by a careful
examination with the dissecting knife,
which the father Indignantly refused to
permit. Knowing that the parents of
the children belonged to the Catholic
Church. I called upon the venerable
and worthy Father Mcclure, who at
the time presided over the church in
this region, and requested his aid and
advice. He promptly acceded to my
request, and Immediately wrote to the
father and advised him to comply with
my wishes. When the note was opened
and read his anger rose to a still higher
pitch, and he angrily repeated that no
doctor and no dissecting knife should
touch those children. After some per-.
suasion permission was given that an
artist might take sketch of them, the
father being present.
A third malfOrmation was, born Oh
colored parents in one of the Southern
States, shortly after the visit of the
Siamese twins, and was connected with
the travelling show of one of those be-
| nevolent wonder venders who depend
on the curiosity of the public to in
crease their gains. This malformation
was twin sisters, united something after
the fashion of the last-described. They
lived to mature age. and had the ap-
pearance of reasonably good health,
and seemed to enjoy the kind of life in
which they were engaged. They were
lusty and heavy, appeared to have but
little power of locomotion and were sell
dom off their large chair, which they
generally occupied.
The manager of this travelling show
did not seem disposed to give much in
formation in regard to the twins, and l
was unable to learn much of the man.
ner of union.
Not long after my attendance on the
second case described / witnessed a
case of monstrosity, born also in Pitts
burgh-one still more remarkable than
those above described. In fact, / have
never heard or read of one like it. 1t
was the case of a healthy-looking boy,
who, instead of the two beaming eyes
that so beautifully adorn the human
face, had only one enormous eye, and
that located in the center of his fore
head, without an eyelid to protect it.
The disgusting effect produced on the
attending nurse when she first cast
| eyes on him aptly suggested to her
mind the horrid badge of deformity he
| would have been doomed to carry with
him through Life. Dropping on her
knees with uplifted hands, she ex-,
claimed: Thank Heaven, he is dead!,'
| Pittsburgh Commercial
A Mighty Lucky Escape.